State: Some parts of Texas get snow, schools delayed

Published 4:58 pm, Thursday, February 6, 2014

A pedestrian makes her way as snow falls in the Dallas suburb of Richardson Thursday.

A pedestrian makes her way as snow falls in the Dallas suburb of Richardson Thursday.

Photo: LM Otero

State: Some parts of Texas get snow, schools delayed

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DALLAS (AP) — Snow flurries forced early school closures Thursday and snarled traffic across the northern half of Texas from the Panhandle to Dallas. Much of the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area got at least 1 inch of snow, along with freezing temperatures that ground traffic to a halt during the morning rush hour. School districts across the area ended classes early. The city of Dallas activated a condition known as “Ice Force Level One,” with 30 trucks sanding roadways and bridges.

Dennis Ware, interim director of the city’s department of street services, said trucks had started sanding the night before and would remain on watch through Thursday evening due to temperatures staying below freezing.“It’s been coming down for hours,” Ware said. “That’s one level of hazardous conditions. When it melts and refreezes, that’s when it really becomes slick.”Snowfall amounts varied across West Texas from the Panhandle down to San Angelo and eastward to Abilene. National Weather Service meteorologists across the region said Potter County, east of Amarillo in the Panhandle, received the most — about 5 inches of light, dry snow. Abilene recorded as much as 3 inches, Coahoma in Howard County got 2 inches and Lubbock got less than an inch.Roads were “a little rough” early Thursday from the light, dry snow that fell, said Matt Elder, the manager of Williams Travel Center on Interstate 40 near Amarillo.A couple of accidents occurred nearby Elder’s truck stop but most truckers weren’t slowed by about 3 inches of accumulation.“Truckers are a breed of their own,” said Elder, who added that his parking lot was about the same as an average day. “They’re blue-collar, hardworking guys and getting the freight where it needs to go.”No weather-related deaths were immediately reported.